UNC Kenan Stadium Returns to Natural Grass Football Field

A new coach isn’t all that’s in store for the University of North Carolina football program. The Tarheels announced this week that Kenan Stadium will be transitioned back to a natural grass field for the 2025 season.

Kenan Stadium last had a grass field from 2017-2019. The field included a synthetic turf perimeter as well.

UNC Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham said, “With our current turf reaching the end of its lifespan, the timing made sense to return Kenan Stadium to its natural grass roots. Our staff takes great pride in maintaining a top-tier field that reflects the excellence of UNC football and we look forward to cheering on the team as it competes on a world-class natural grass surface next season.”

According to CBS17.com, “the decision to convert from artificial turf back to natural grass was ‘made in consultation’ with new head coach Bill Belichick ‘with the best experience for the program in mind.’”

The project is expected to take 12 weeks to complete as construction crews must first remove the worn-out turf and then sod 6,700 square feet of field. Crews will also install 36,000 square feet of synthetic turf on the perimeter of the stadium. The booster organization, Rams Club, is funding this project.

UNC now joins two other Atlantic Coast Conference schools, the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech, that play on natural grass football fields. All other ACC teams have synthetic turf fields. Across the whole NCAA, only an estimated 39 programs use natural grass fields. All of the new grass turf at Kenan Stadium will be watered using reclaimed water, the same method used for all other grass fields at UNC.